1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of child car seats, strollers, booster seats, and the like; and more particularly to a baby head sleeping support system for the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Restful sleep is important for human beings, and even more so for young children and babies. Many times the motions experienced while riding in a vehicle promote the desire to fall asleep; this is especially evident with babies. Some parents even deliberately employ this phenomena to encourage their children to fall asleep, by placing their child in a car seat and driving around until the child falls asleep. Indeed, when babies are riding in a vehicle car seat, they typically spend a lot of hours sleeping. During sleep, however, the muscles in the neck and back of the human body that normally support the head do not function. This is magnified in babies as their neck and back muscles are not as strong as those of an adult. The result is that when babies are asleep in a car seat, their head will fall forward or “roll” to the left or right, placing strain on the baby's neck and spine and causing discomfort that diminishes the quality of sleep that the child enjoys. While driving in and around city streets, the forces associated with vehicle acceleration, braking, and sharp turns, respectively, further magnify the harmful effects on the neck and spine caused by the child's head not being supported.
Head supports for adults and children are known in the art. However, the prior art lacks the salient features and advantages of the present invention as described herein. Moreover, many of the prior art patents disclose apparatus specifically designed for adult seats. Others require several parts, involve intricate installation, are incapable of being readily adjusted to accommodate for various size heads, and are bulky in terms of their size and weight. The following is a summary of the relevant prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,103 to Ireland discloses a head support for various types of vehicles employed for the transportation of persons. The head support is especially adaptable for use by persons who are traveling for long distances and desire to relax and rest. The '103 patent teaches an apparatus intended for an adult seat. No disclosure is contained therein concerning a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,571 to Thoma discloses a headrest comprising a pair of cushions which are arranged in spaced-apart relation with one another for the reception of a person's head therebetween. The cushions are mounted on a band that is designed to encircle the back of a seat in a bus, train, or the like. The band may be adjusted with respect to the back so that the cushions will embrace opposite sides of the person's head and cover the latter's ears. The '571 patent teaches an apparatus intended for an adult seat. Furthermore, the '571 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the support strap completely surrounds the child's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,726,714 to McAndrews discloses an infant restraining means for automobile use. The '714 patent comprises a strap which fits around the back of an automobile seat and a belt mounted on the strap, the belt being adjustable to fit around the abdomen of an infant. The '714 patent does not teach an apparatus that is used with a modern forward-facing child car seat. Furthermore, the '714 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the support strap covers the child's forehead.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,885 to Lund discloses an infant holder of a preformed unitary plastic body by which an infant can be supported either in a relatively fixed supine position or in a suspended upright position for the making of an X-ray or other treatment or operation, and which not only will not interfere with the X-ray but will stand sterilization. The '885 patent does not disclose an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '885 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,861 to Vincent discloses a spinal support, particularly for use in first aid treatment of victims of spinal injuries. The support is of the type of an inflatable bag to which the victim is secured to immobilize his or her spine during transportation to a hospital or the like. Fixedly secured to the sides of the head portion are head straps arranged for securing the victim's head to the support. The straps are secured to the head portion by welding or the like in proximity to the peripheral seam. The '861 patent does not disclose an apparatus that is used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '861 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,151 to Riggs discloses a head restraint for supporting the user's head while seated in a chair. The head restraint comprises a strap adapted to be wrapped around the back of a chair and an adjustable headband secured to a central forward portion of the strap. The head restraint is preferably made of paper and is readily disposable after use. The '151 patent does not disclose an apparatus that is used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '151 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a durable support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,885 to del Fierro discloses a head-restraining device for preventing possibly injurious forward and lateral motion of the head of a child seated in a child's seat. The device comprises a rigid U-shaped restraining member which surrounds the forward and lateral portions of the child's head, and is of a size to be separated therefrom by a slight air gap so as to not be uncomfortable, yet be capable of being engaged by the child's head and restraining such from any more than minimal forward and lateral motion. The device disclosed by the '885 patent is bulky in size and is not easily adjusted to accommodate for various sized heads of children. The head restraint is not flexible and does not tightly secure the child's head, since the apparatus in the '885 patent is designed to be installed such that a gap exists between the child's head and the support system. The '885 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein an elastic support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,031 to Meistrell discloses a head support for a traveler sitting in a chair having a headrest, and which includes a first band adapted to be fitted in adjustably wrapped condition closely about the user's head and at eye or forehead level, a band retention structure associated with the band for retaining the band in said wrapped condition, and a head restraint structure coupled to the band and adapted to be coupled to the headrest for restraining the user's head against lateral side-to-side movement relative to the headrest. Installation of the '031 requires several steps, and the apparatus contains several parts. In addition, the '031 patent does not allow for adjustments to accommodate various size heads because the band placed over the front of the car seat does not use a hook and loop type fastener to attach to the car seat, but instead uses snaps. The '031 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein an elastic support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,264 to Lonardo et al. discloses a medical appliance, having a thick foam core received within a cover made of fleece, for simultaneously treating spinal, shoulder girdle, head, neck and related conditions. The appliance includes a seat cushion surrounded on three sides by a three-sided vest having a back wall and a pair of forwardly extending sidewalls. The '264 patent teaches a medical appliance and is not an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '264 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the support strap completely surrounds the child's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,393 to Garth et al. discloses a dual adhesive strap which is designed to lay across and adhere to the patient's forehead and have each of its ends adhere to a spine board for securing a patient's head in a head immobilizer. The strap has a bottom side comprising a central region which comprises skin contact adhesive flanked by two regions which comprise a board contact adhesive. The '393 patent teaches a medical appliance and is not an apparatus that can be used with a modem forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '393 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips, such that the cotton head pad rests on the child's forehead, but is not adhered to same.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,042 to Daneshvar discloses a device which is adapted to support the head of a seated user relative to a generally upstanding portion of a seat, stroller, or the like, and has a strap adapted to encircle the head of the user and the generally upstanding portion. The strap contains a plurality of inflatable balloons having generally flat rear surfaces and expandable frontal surfaces, whereby upon inflation the generally flat rear surfaces of the balloons remain flat, and the frontal surfaces bulge outwardly from the rear surfaces to contact and support the user's head. Such balloons may require manual inflation and are generally not reliable for long term use. The '042 patent does not teach an apparatus that can be used with a modem forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '393 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,395,158 and 5,511,854 to Cordia disclose a head support and feeding aid for a wheelchair patient whose head slumps forwardly when seated. A headband is attached to a frame on the wheelchair seat back by adjustable cords. By progressively adjusting the length of the cords, the head band progressively lifts the patient's head to a more and more upright position. The length of the cords is adjusted by releasable cord clamps behind the frame. The '158 and '854 patents teach a medical appliance and not an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '158 and '854 patents do not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,959 to Meye discloses a headrest to be used in vehicles and provided with fastening means for a headband to be positioned around the head of a passenger above the eyes and ears. The fastening means comprise a ring suitable for the headband to be passed through. The fastening means comprise a band attached in the interior of the headrest, which extends through an opening in the upholstery, and the ring is fastened to the band at the exterior of the headrest. The '959 patent teaches a headrest for use with an adult seat and not with a modern forward-facing child car seat. Furthermore, the '959 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,825 to Floyd discloses a traveler's head support sleeping and resting mechanism for a seated person. The seat and/or chair being used may include a headrest. The '825 patent discloses a harness comprised from a band of a two strap assembly arrangement with highly adhesive contact surfaces which may be a hook and loop mechanism, whereby the two lengths of strap are contacted to form one length only. The seat harness and the head harness are preferably made of non-resilient material such as nylon-type webbing. The '825 patent does not disclose a head support having an elastic support band which is inserted through a tubular head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips. The elastic nature of a support band will act to absorb any forces on the child's head encountered during vehicle operation; an elastic support band is easy to secure about the child's forehead, and is comfortable for the child.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,716 to Ross discloses a head support assembly to facilitate the care of a physically disabled individual. The head support assembly includes a headpiece and an attachment cord attached to the headpiece which is adapted to be attached to a chair. The attachment cord and headpiece provide resilient support for an individual's head to facilitate the care of the individual. The '716 patent teaches a medical appliance and not an apparatus that can be used with a modern forward-facing child car seat during vehicle operation. Furthermore, the '716 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,245 to Scher discloses a head restraint for supporting a user's head with respect to the headrest portion of a seat. The head restraint has a headband strap for placing over the head across the forehead of the user. An anchor band is secured around the headrest portion of the seat. A right-hand securement strap is affixed between the strap placed over the head of the user and the anchor band. Similarly, a left-hand strap is affixed between the strap placed over the head of the user and the anchor band. The '245 patent requires three separate straps, which increases the cost of the product, and make it more difficult to install than a device with a single support strap. The '716 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a single support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat.
U.S. Pat. Des. 339,428 to Swinea et al. discloses an ornamental design for a head restraint strap. The '428 patent does not comprise a child car seat head support having a soft cotton head pad that is tubular in design, wherein a single support band is inserted through the head pad and is attached to the car seat by two hook and loop type fastener strips.
There remains a need in the art for a baby head sleeping support system comprising an apparatus having a padded strap that is attached to both sides of the car seat with two hook and loop type fasteners. Also needed is a baby head sleeping support system wherein the padded strap has a circular configuration that facilitates its operation with a wide variety of car seats. Such a device is found in the present invention which solves the problems associated with the lack of support of a baby's head while sleeping in a vehicle's child car seat. The baby head sleeping support system of the present invention provides a safe, comfortable, simple, compact and reliable apparatus for properly securing a child's head against the rear of a child car seat when the child is asleep.